⅔cupbuttermilkor Powdered Buttermilk, use 2 1/2 tablespoons + 2/3 cup water
½cupcanola oil
¼cuplemon juicefreshly squeezed if possible
2tablespoonslemon zestor more to taste if you’re really into lemon
2rounded tablespoons Greek yogurtor sour cream
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1 ¾cups+ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour2 cups minus 2 tablespoons
¾teaspoonbaking soda
pinchsaltoptional and to taste
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
¼cupcream cheesesoftened*
2tablespoonslemon juicefreshly squeezed if possible
about 1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugaror as necessary for desired consistency
1 to 2tablespoonslemon zestoptional for garnishing
Instructions
Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan with paper liners; set aside. You will likely have batter for a 13th or 14th cupcake, and I baked it in a cooking-sprayed mini loaf pan because my oven is small and that pan setup fits; discard extra batter if that’s easier.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the first 8 ingredients, through vanilla, until smooth.
Add the flour, baking soda, optional salt, and whisk until just combined; don’t overmix.
Using a 2-inch cookie scoop, place about 2 heaping tablespoons of batter per cupcake into each of the 12 cavities so they’re solidly 3/4-full. I poured the excess batter into the mini loaf pan.
Bake cupcakes for about 18 to 19 minutes (I baked the mini loaf for 23 minutes), or until domed, set, pale golden, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter; don’t overbake.
Allow cupcakes to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before removing.
While cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
Make the Lemon Frosting:
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add about 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, and whisk to combine or beat with an electric mixer until smooth.
Continue adding sugar until desired frosting consistency is reached. Because I used light cream cheese, the frosting stayed on the runnier side. If you want frosting thick enough to pipe, do not use light cream cheese. If you like your frosting really piled on thick and high, make a double batch.
With a spoon, add 2 to 3 tablespoons frosting to the top of each cupcake and smooth with the back of the spoon if necessary. My frosting just ran naturally (from the light cream cheese). Optionally transfer frosting to a piping bag and frost the cooled cupcakes. I like the Wilton 1M tip for cupcakes.
Optionally, garnish each cupcake with a pinch of lemon zest.
Notes
*I used Trader Joe’s soft spreadable light cream cheese; don’t use light cream cheese if you want thick frosting that you can pipe.
You may have a small amount of frosting left over. It will keep airtight in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Storing cupcakes: Cupcakes will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days. I personally am comfortable storing cream cheese-frosted items at room temp, but if you prefer to store in the fridge, that’s fine, but note the fridge will dry cupcakes out much more quickly.